The Next Chapter
by thatonewiththehair
Summary: Another one of those Life after the battle stories. Ginny/Harry Ron/Hermione


**Hello everyone, this story has been on my computer for a while so I thought I'd post it. I'm planing on continuing it but it may take bit. It's the cheesy after the battle of Hogwarts story where life continues. But I like that idea, of things moving on.**

**Disclaimer: All mistakes are my own.**

"So what happened when you walked out to the woods? Neville said he saw you on your way out. You told him to kill the snake... you thought you were not coming back!" Said Ron, badgering Harry for information.

"Look it doesn't matter what I thought, what matters is I'm alive and he's dead." He reasoned, setting the plate to his sandwich that Kreacher made him on the side table next to his four poster bed in Gryffindor tower. "What I need now though is a good, well, days sleep." He said looking out at the light pouring in through the window.

Harry pulled the blanket over his face and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh no you don't!" Said Ron, pulling the velvet blanket back to the foot of the bed.

"But why?" Harry asked. "I just battled the most evil wizard of all time, won by the way, And you're telling me I cant take a nap?"

"Well, Ginny told me not to let you. She said as soon as you're done up here to go and meet her at 'The Place'. She wouldn't tell me where-" Before Ron could finish his sentence, Harry had jumped out of bed and was headed for the door.

As he walked out of the room and heard Ron yell something along the lines of "Well make sure to breathe!"

Everyone only had one day left at Hogwarts. Lots of people had already gone but some stayed to help clean up the school. Word was already out that Voldemort was dead and that it was Harry who killed him.

Tomorrow would be the day that Harry would have to choose where he would go but now he was going to be with Ginny.

But where do you go from here? Seventeen years of fighting for something good, something better than he's ever been able to have.

And now, it's over. No more struggle or loss. After the battle here at Hogwarts and losing Lupin, Tonks, and Fred; Harry hoped those were the last of the deaths for a very long while.

Snapping back to reality and realizing where his steps were taking him, he sped up.

Finally being able to even just think of a normal night.

One with out nightmares that were a terrible reality. Being able to think of a normal life.

One without Voldemort and the fear of all of the people close to him getting hurt.

A life where he can have free thoughts and not worry about giving his hopes up.

Finally, Harry can try and be normal.

The Place Ginny was referring to was a place that even the Maradures couldn't find. Hagrid showed it to him a while back.

He says its the meadow the unicorns come to get their water in the forest.

It has a perfectly round pond off to the right side with the sound of a stream in the distance.

Walking out the front door and down the hill near Hagrid's house, Harry broke into a run.

After passing the threshold of the forest, he looked around for the small path him and Ginny had made with their feet after the many trips to their meadow.

Finding it, he let his feet carry him to the last step to his new life.

At first, as he stepped out into the meadow, he didn't think any one was there.

But then he felt the unmistakable touch of the hand that belonged to Ginny Weasley on his own. He turned to look at her with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey," Ginny said with a smile as she stretched up on the tips of her toes to brush her lips against Harry's

"Hello, you wanted to see me?" He said as every pressure in the world fell from his shoulders.

"Well, I figured I would try to get a small piece of you before every wizard and witch alike wanted a glimpse." She said while pulling him to a spot near the pond and taking a seat.

"So, you do still want to continue this, us? Because I still love you but I just wasn't sure if you still-" Harry was cut off in the middle of his ramble by a question from Ginny.

"You love me?" She asked with a look of disbelieve on her face.

"Well, yes. But you love me right?" he asked back with a moment of fear.

"Yes, always, but it's just you've never said that before." Ginny said smiling ear to ear.

"You had to ask?"

Then in response to his question she chuckled and said "I love you Harry Potter."

"And I love you, Ginny Weasley. Wow, it feels so good to say that. Freeing almost." He said, giving her hand an extra squeeze.

"Well I'm glad." She said. "It's about time you were able to feel free."

"I know," he said. "I was thinking earlier about how most of my life I've been fighting against something. For most of my years it was just my relatives. I always had a hard time at their house. Then once entering the wizard world, I was accepted but I still wasn't able to get off as easy as others were. I guess I still wont get off that easy with all of the fame and stuff but now I can live and not just try and survive."

Ginny, not knowing what to say at the end of Harry's speech, just looked into his emerald eyes with the love and affection that the man in front of her craved for almost all of his life.

Slowly, she leaned in. Noticing what she was doing, Harry followed in suit.

The kiss they shared was unlike all of the rest. Before they were fast and hard.

During these types of kisses, both of them knew that it may be there last. T

his one however was slow and passionate.

The young couple had all of the time in the world.

Brushing his fingers through Ginny's hair,

Harry softly laid her on her back while hovering over her in half of a sitting position.

Pulling away, Harry brushed away a few strands of the fiery red hair that entangled themselves in her long eye lashes.

Ginny had a smile playing on the corners of her mouth. "You know, we are not actually official. Right now I'm just a girl you decided to grace with you presence."

With a chuckle Harry said. "Well, Ginny Weasley, will you grace me with your love and kisses and be my girlfriend?"

"Yes Harry Potter, I think I will." She said just before pushing herself upon her elbows and kissing Harry on the lips.

After pulling back she said. "You know, we should get back to the castle. Everyone will be looking for us and you seem utterly exhausted."

Now that she mentioned it, Harry felt his eye lids become overwhelmingly heavy.

"Yea, I guess you're right." He said with a yawn.

Slowly standing and helping Ginny up, the two walked hand in hand out of the forest.

Hogwarts was still in shambles around them. It would be a while before it was completely fixed.

"Harry?" Ginny asked as they passed the rumble of the great hall, making their way up to Gryffindor tower.

"Yes?"

"What are you planing to do next year?" She said, looking over at him.

"Uh, I haven't really thought about it quite yet." He replied with really no clue as to what he wanted. Had always wanted to be an Auror but now he felt taking a break from getting into dangerous situations would be a good thing for a while.

"But you would tell me when you figured out?" Ginny wondered.

"Yea, why wouldn't I?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, I just don't want to be left out anymore." Before Harry could interrupt, as she knew he would, Ginny held up her hand to silence him. "I know it was to keep me safe and you were trying to not give me enough information so Riddle wouldn't come after me. But I'm a big girl now and I want you to know I will support you with what ever you want to do."

Harry pondered her words for a minute as they got near the Gryffindor common room entrance.

The fat lady was absent, as was many of the other characters that normally inhabited the frames that hung along the walls, but the door swung open anyways.

Still holding hands they made their way up to Harry's old four poster.

Thankfully Ron, they had guessed, had gone down stairs to the great hall.

Climbing onto the bed, still in their dirty day clothes, they pulled the covers over themselves.

After getting settled Harry turned towards Ginny.

"I, from here on out, will try and include you in everything. I went for years being left out. It's not under the same circumstances but I know the feeling. I love you Ginny and I don't ever want to have to leave you again. We may have problems here and there, but I know we can make it through any thing. We already have."

Ginny looked into Harry's eyes for the longest time, not blinking.

This man had done so much for her and everyone else he loved, he made it hard to not love him back. She moved in and kissed him on the lips.

She felt him slightly respond but she knew he was getting tired. As she pulled way, she saw his eyes gently close.

Moving closer to him she welcomed his warmth.

For a year she felt empty and cold.

Now that Harry was back in her life, it felt to her as if everything had more color.

She was still grieving the loss of her brother but she knew

Fred would want everyone to be happy as he and George were always the ones to make the people around them laugh.

He went out with a bang, doing want he wanted and fighting for a cause he fully believed in.

She was sure he wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way.

That helped in the process of grieving for the entire family.

She remembered earlier that even George tried to crack a joke about some useless topic and although it wasn't the funniest thing in the world, everyone at the table laughed their heads off.

Losing her train of thought after a while, Ginny decided to join Harry in a state of slumber.

"Well what are we to do about this Aurthur?" Harry heard Mrs. Weasley said in a strained tone through his half-awake daze.

"I don't think we should do anything Molly. Harry is a man now and Ginny will be of age in a few short months." Mr. Weasley said, trying to reason with his wife.

"It's going to happen anyway and would you rather us be aware of the situation or have them sneak around behind our backs? And besides, this has been their first night together in a long while, they need each other after what the lot of them went through this last year."

During this interaction Harry acted dead asleep; partly because he didn't want to interrupt them and partly he wanted to see what would be said next.

"Well I think it may me just too early for her. What if they are left to themselves for a while and they decided to take it to the next level. What if Ginny gets the contraceptive charm wrong? Her and Harry are far to young for a baby!" Mrs. Weasley whisper yelled at her husband.

"You remember Molly how it was for us. When we were their age, as soon as we had a free minute we would sneak off to-" But Mr. Weasley was interrupted by Harry's fake coughing fit. He decided he would rather not know what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sneak off to do.

"Oh Harry, dear are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley said in alarm.

"No, no I be just fine." He said sitting forward on his bed slightly. Ginny leaned up off his chest and sat to stretch out her arms.

Harry, who through in a few extra coughs for good measure, looked up at Ginny as she looked back at him. In that moment he knew she had been awake for that last conversation as well.

Ginny stifled a chuckle and got up off of the bed and walked to the foot and hugged her father.

As Mr. Weasley hugged his daughter back, He looked at Harry who still had Molly trying to help him any way she could.

Harry met his gaze. Mr. Weasley's eyes narrowed to slits as he gave Harry a knowing look.

He knew Harry had been awake.

"Why don't you two go down to breakfast. Ron and Hermione have already gone down." Said Mrs. Weasley.

As soon as Harry and Ginny had gotten through the portrait hole and were sure they were out of hearing range from Ginny's parents, they looked at each other and began to laugh their hardest.

"I wonder what they used to sneak off to do!" Ginny cried in the middle of her laughter.

"I surly don't!" Said Harry. "Oh and by the way, I'm pretty sure your father knew I was awake."

"Really?! I wonder if he'll have 'The Talk' with you later." Said Ginny as she just kept walking as if it was the most normal statement in the world.

Where as Harry stopped dead in his tracks causing Ginny to notice his expression.

"Harry it'll be fine. Also at this point we don't even know if he is so don't be too worried." Ginny said, trying to calm him down.

"Yea, I guess." He said, swallowing hard.

"Just forget about it. And if dad gives one to you mum will probably give one to.. Oh Merlin! I might have to get the talk too!" She said with dread dripping from her voice.

"See!? Not so easy to forget, huh?" Harry said, rubbing it in a bit.

Their conversation ended as they entered the great hall.

Most of the people from the war effort had already gone home either to celebrate or plan the burials of their loved ones.

There were completely no Slytherins at their house table.

For Hufflepuff it was the same. At the Ravenclaw table sat Luna Lovegood with some other six years.

For Gryffindor there sat the entire Weasley family, minus Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, and also some members of the DA.

Harry and Ginny approached the table and were greeted with questioning looks.

"What happened to you lot? You look to be petrified" said Ron.

"Mum and dad saw us sleeping together." Said Ginny, plopping down next to Hermione on the bench.

"You slept with my sister?!" Ron screamed. "I knew you were going together but I didn't know you had taken it to THAT level!"

Every eye in the great hall seemed to find its way straight to Harry's beat red face that would rival any Weasley's besides Ron's at the moment. Harry sank as low as possible on the bench.

Ginny was entirely different though as she shot straight up like an arrow. "No Ron, not that it's actually your business nor will it ever be, but we didn't take it to _that level_! We just fell ASLEEP in the same bed!"

Now it was just Ron who looked petrified. where as Ginny was pure fury. Hermione looked at the boys sheepishly but seemed to agree with Ginny's tactics.

Ginny, now noticing all of the attention her and Ron were getting, slowly sat down. All the while her glare at Ron was stuck like glue.

All of the heads in the great hall seemed to turn away and for a brief moment there was silence that ended a short while after as then conversation rumbled on.

Ron, still shocked, was pulled down to his seat by Hermione.

Then to break up the awkward moment the four were in, they heard "George, are you alright?" Coming from Charlie.

The four of them looked over in curiosity and saw George With his head in his elbow, down on the table but he seemed to be shaking.

Slowly George looked up from his elbow and he had a smile on his face as he was laughing his hardest.

In between his laughs he managed to get out "Harry's... sleeping ….With...little sister!" and then he just laughed on. Everyone at the table looked around at each other and then, on each face, a smile broke out.

"We will be leaving for the Burrow just after lunch so be in Professor McGonagall's office in two hours. We will leave by foo." Mrs. Weasley said, consulting her clan. "It's just after 10 o'clock now."

Everyone went off to do their own thing after breakfast. Bill and Fleur went home after they ate, saying they would meet the rest of them at the Burrow.

Charlie, George, and Percy went to help clean the castle even further.

George was still feeling the weight of his twins death but decided to through himself into his work to get his mind off of things.

Ron and Hermione were taking a walk down by the lake, enjoying the time they had together.

Harry and Ginny went back up to Gryffindor tower to get cleaned up and changed.

Once entering the dormitory, harry realized he didn't have any other clothes.

"Eh, Krecher?" he said, calling upon his house elf.

In a second there was the familiar snap and the house elf appeared.

"What can Kreacher do for Master Harry and Mistress Ginny?" He croaked.

"Could you get us some clean robes?" Harry asked awkwardly. He still wasn't used to having someone follow his orders.

"Yes sir, Kreacher will be back soon." Then he was gone.

Harry sat down on the bed and Ginny followed after him. Resting her head on his shoulder, Harry put his arm around her just as they heard the crack of Kreacher's return.

"Here you are Master, Mistress." Said the house elf, handing each of them their respective clothing.

"Is there any thing Kreacher can do now Master Harry?"

"No Kreacher that will be all." Harry said. "Thank you."

Kreacher bowed low enough for his nose to touch the floor and then cracked out once more.

"Harry?" Ginny said. "Wear are you going after we leave? I mean back to Sirius' or to the Burrow?"

"Well if it's alright with you and your family I'd like to switch off between the two. I have to get Sirius' in order before I completely move in." Harry explained.

"Yea, It's completely fine with me and I bet my parents would be okay with it to. I don't think mum wants you to permanently leave yet either." Ginny said. "Alright, now that's settled, I should go shower. Bye." She left giving Harry a kiss on the cheek and a wave.

Harry loved his new life.


End file.
